According to Meggie Brown, Beaty-Warren Middle School gifted support/STEM instructor, the WPSU poetry contest selects three poems, and out of three, there is one overall winner. Beaty-Warren student Evan Wellner’s poem “Nothing” was selected as one of the top three poems while Beaty-Warren student Summer Crozier’s poem “Words of Regret” was selected as the overall winner.

“I got the idea to write this poem from what I feel when my brother annoys me a lot,” Summer said.

Summer had the opportunity to record her poem at the WPSU Penn State radio station studio. The winning local poems will be published on the WPSU website today at www.wpsu.org/poetrycontest, and in addition, Summer will be aired reciting her poem on the radio at WPSU FM today at 7:45 a.m. and 4:44 p.m. during a special episode of Poetry Moment during National Poetry month. There will also be a recording of Summer reciting her poem on the WPSU website as well.

“When I first read Summer’s poem, I got goosebumps,” Brown said. “She vividly conveys deep, genuine emotions in a very metaphorical way. After I read her poem, I couldn’t wait to tell the other teachers about what an amazing job she did.”

Pictured is Evan Wellner who placed third in the WPSU Poetry Writing Contest.

Words of Regret

By Summer Crozier

The lemonade spills all over the table

But the words of regret stay inside the cup

As I clean up, I spit out the words,

That I do not mean

Because I knocked over a glass

And the words of regret and rage

When the glass tilted

Felt the need to spill too.

Nothing

By Evan Wellner

Nothing

When I think of nothing

When I think of nothing, I think of an empty glass

When I think of nothing, I think of an empty glass and a dad who leaves for the milk

When I think of nothing, I think of an empty glass and a dad who leaves for the milk, and my mind.

“I’m incredibly proud of both Evan and Summer,” Brown said. “At first, Evan wasn’t sure what to write about, so I gave him the idea to write about exactly that. Nothing! He lived up to the challenge beautifully!”